Hydraulic water control and lock for concrete mixers



Patented Feb. 20, 1940 PATENT OFFICE,

HYDRAULIC WATER CONTROL AND LOOK FOR CONCRETE MIXERS John P. Faber,Dunellen, N. J., assignor to Ransome Concrete Machinery Company,Plainfield, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 6, 1939,Serial No. 282,963 x 10 Claims.

The improvements relate generally to concrete mixers employing a rotarydrum, of any known type, havinga charging opening in one head, a

discharge opening in the opposite head and means for dumping dryaggregates thereinto through said charging opening and simultaneouslysupplying water to said dry aggregates to hydrate thesame,

The improvements relate more particularly and primarily to means of thecharacter indicated which employ hydraulic pressurecontrolled by valvesfor the operation of the water valves, discharge chute and other partssuch as are shown and described in Patent No. 2,119,144 of May 31, 1938to Williams, owned by the assignee of the present improvements, and towhich reference is made for details not shown or described herein, andinvolve certain modifications of as well as additions to the apparatusof that patent. They also involve in their preferred application the useof a batchmeter or timer, a device well known and commonly used inmachines of this type and shown in various expired patents, which isarranged to be set by the charging means and to lock the dischargingmeans until a certain mixing time or number of revolutions of the mixingdrum has elapsed. In the present improvements, however, the batchmeteris also employed to lock the means for operating the water supply duringthe mixing period, so that it is not possible for the operator, af-- terthe proper measured quantity otwater has been supplied to the batch ofdry aggregates to bernixed, to add more water thereto and makethemixture morefluent or sloppyfl to the detriment of the set concreteeventually formed thereby.

These and further objects and advantages of the improvements will beapparent from the following. description, referring to the accompanyingdrawing, in which- Fig. l is a general side elevation showing anexemplary embodiment of the improvements; and

Fig. 2 is an end view showing only the hydraulic valve operating andlocking means for the water supply- In the said drawing, l representsthe valve handle and lever by whichthe three-way valve controlling thewater supply by hydraulic pressure is operated. This lever is pivoted at2 in the casing 3, has a valve rod 4 above its pivot hinged theretowhich operates the multiple valve I 5 and a locking rod 6 hinged to itslower end. Secured to it between the latter and the pivot is anoscillating arm 1 connected in turn at its outer end with the bell crankmember 9 by the link 8 for operation, and operation of the valve leverI. The bell crank member is pivoted at it and has the upper end of itsvertical leg 9 in the 5 path of the stepped tappetbar hinged to theclutch lever I2 and having its outer end slidably supported on thebracket 13. The end of the tappet has a hook H to engage the roundedupper member [3 of the bracket [3 and check re- '10 turn movement, andis beveledbetween the step ilfland this hook so that the step will beraised and lowered when the lever is reciprocated to lift it fromengagement with the part 9 and return it toposition opposite that part.

A clutchdevice Hi andwinding drum It for raising and lowering theloading skip H5 are shown, and a brake lever may be mounted at ll, asshown in said patent, but these parts need not be further describedasthey are common in the 20 art and form no part of the presentimprovements, in which it is contemplated that the water control levershall be operated by the clutch lever, as well as by directmanipulation. The loading skip I6 is pivoted to the lower end of the 25swinging arm 18 which is in turn pivoted at its upper end at 19 and hasfixed thereto a short arm 20, this construction being substantially thatof my Patent No. 1,767,443 of June 24, 1930 to which reference may bemade for details, if de- 30 sired.

When the skip rises it first swings on the lower pivot and then on thepivot I9 of the arm 18, the latter movement rocking the arm 25 andpulling the cable 21 running over the sheave 22 35 and pulling the rod23 to set the batchmeter 24 and lock thesaid rod in that position, inwell known manner.

i 3 The pulling of the rod 23rocks the bell crank ment of the lockingrod 6. The end of the rod slides in a sleeve 30 by which it is guided inthe direction of this aperture;

The pipe 3| communicates pressure to the cylinder 32 to open the waterdischarge valve 35 and the pipe 33 by similar pressure closes the" saidvalve and opensthe refilling valve 34 of the water tank and measuringdevice 31, water being discharged through the pipe 33 to the mixing drum(not shown), as set'forth in said (Fig. 2) of the valve lever l isneutral, the dotted line position on the right the discharge position,and the dotted line position on the left the refilling position.

It will be seen from the foregoing that when the clutch lever i 2 ismoved forward the step ll" engages the crooked upper end of the bellcrank 9 and rocks it to dotted position as shown in Fig. 2, then risesand passes over it. This causes the lower leg of the bell crank 9 toswine upward pushing the link 8 and the arm 1 and rocking the valvelever l to discharge position, actuating the cylinder 32 and causingwater to be discharged into the drum through the pipe 36, in whichposition it will remain until it is returned to neutral or closedposition; meanwhile, the clutch lever I2 being held inthis in positionby the operator until the skip has dumped itsload intothe drum. Theclutch lever is then moved to out position, as shown in full linesinFig.2, restoringthe'tappet H to its original position, and theskip is thenpermitted to descend for another load. During this movement the operatormay move the valve leverfl to operate the refilling valve and provideanother charge of water for the next batch of aggregates.

When the skip has risen to, its full discharge position the rod 23 hasbeen pulled to its extreme right position and locked until the timingdevice 24 ,shallrelease it. This movement and locking of the rod 23 alsomoves the lower arm 28 into position over the aperture 29 and locks itthere, so that the valve lever i cannot again be moved to dischargeposition until the time for properly mixing abatch of aggregates haselapsed and the parts are released. The operation above described maythen be repeated. v

The valve operating lever I may be provided with a spring or weight toreturn it automatically to neutral position when'released, and it willbeunderstood that at the end of the mixing named the batchmeter or timerwill retract the rod 25 and unlock the locking rod 5, the backwardmovement of the bar 23 being permitted by the slack in the cable 2| dueto the return of the skip H5 to its lower position. This.permits thewater discharge valve to be again opened by clutch en" gaging movementof thelever H2 or manual movement of the valve lever l'. V

Various changes in the details of construction and arrangement of theexemplary embodiment herein shown and described may be made w thoutdeparting from the'scope of the invention, which is designed to be usedeither with a single mixing drum or atwo-compartment drum, and

it is intended that thecon'nections with the timing device shall includea connectionbywhich the discharge or transfer chuteof the mixer islocked and released, it being necessary only to connect the rod 26 orthe cell crank 25 with a locking device forsuch a chute, so that bothdischarge chute and Water supply are locked until the mixing periedmeasured by the batchmeter or timer ZG'has elapsed. 7

When the lever i is returned toneutral or full line position, manuallyor automatically, the

exit valve 35 is not necessarily closed i'out the, container fillingvalve 3 3 remains closed until said lever is moved to its right-handposition. The water supply means therefore cannot be operated todischarge water until the rod 6 is unlocked to causethis fillingmovement, which of course must be preceded, momentarily at least, by theclosing of the exit valve. The means for causing discharge of the Wateris therefore locked in closed position against water dischargingmovement by the locking of the refilling valve or the locking of theexit valveor both.

after such discharge and means connected with said timing device andsaid means for causing discharge of the container whereby the latter islocked in closed position by the former during said period against waterdischarging movement.

2. In apparatus of the character indicated, a

loading device, a containerfor water to be discharged with the contentsof said loading device, means for causing discharge of said loadingdevice and water from said container, .a timing device to measure aperiod to elapse after such discharge and means connected with saidtiming device and said means for causing discharge of the containerwhereby the latter is locked in closed position by the former duringsaid period against water discharging movement and a connection betweensaid loading device and said timing device whereby the latter is set foroperation by the former and the said water discharging device locked.

3. In apparatus of the character indicated, a loading device, acontainer for water to be discharged with the contents of said loadingdevice,

means for causing discharge of said loading deloading device, acontainer for water to bedis- I charged with. the contents of saidloading device into a mixing drum, means for causing discharge of saidloading device and of water from said container, a timing device tomeasure" a mixing period to elapse after such discharge and meansconnected with said timing device'and said means for causing dischargeof the container whereby the latter is locked by the former during saidperiod against water discharging operation and means for operating thewater discharging means connected with and actuated by the means. forcausing discharge of the loader comprising a clutch lever, a tappetthereon, a pivoted arm in. the path of said tappet and an operativeconnection between said arm and said water discharge means. I

5. In the apparatus set forth in claim 4, there being also a memberagainst which said tappet bears and an inclined bearing portion of said"tappet to cause it to move from said arm after arm operating movement.

7 In apparatus of the character indicated, in combination with means forcontrolling the operation of a solids loading device and means for tionbetween the last named-means and said period measuring means whereby thesaid last named means locks in closed position and unlocks automaticallyat the beginning and end of first means including a manually operablelever, 15,

said period respectively, a connection between said solids loadingdevice and said locking means through said measuring means, and anoperating connection between said solids loading control and said liquidcharging control.

'7. In apparatus of the character indicated, in combination with meansfor controlling the operation of a solids loading device and means forcontrolling a liquid charge to a mixingdrum, said of means for measuringa mixing period of said solidsand liquid and preventing the dischargethereof during such period, means for locking said liquid chargecontrol, a connection between the last named means and said periodmeasuring means whereby the said last named means locks in closedposition and unlocks automatically at 'the beginning and end of saidperiod respectively,

a connection between said solids loading device and said locking meansthrough said measuring means, and an operating connectionbetween saidsolids loading control and said liquid charging control. i

8. In apparatus of the character indicated, in

combination with means for controlling the op eration of a solidsloading device and means for controlling a liquid charge for a mixingdrum, said first means including a manually operable lever and saidsecond means including a source of fluid under pressure, a valvecontrolling said charge, a conduit communicatingbetween said.

valve and source, and a manually operable valve on said conduitcontrolling said communication, of means for measuring a mixing periodof said solids and liquid and preventing the discharge thereofduringsuch period, means for locking said manually operable valve, aconnection between the last named means and said period measuring meanswhereby the said valve is locked in closed position and unlocked at thebeginning and chant said period respectively, a connection solids andliquid and preventing the discharge thereof during such period, meansfor locking said manually operable valve, a connection between the lastnamed means and said period measuring means whereby the said valve islocked in closed position and unlocked at the beginning and end ofsaidperiod respectively, a connection between said solids loading deviceand said locking means and an operating connection between saidsolids'loading control and said liquid charging control.

10. In apparatus of the character indicated, in combination with meansfor controlling the operation of a solids loading device and means forcontrolling a liquid charge for a mixing drum,

said first means including a manually operable lever and said secondmeans including a source of fillld under pressure, a valve controllingsaid charge, a conduit communicating between said valve and source and amanually operable valve on said conduit controlling said communication,of means for measuring a mixing period of said solids and liquid andpreventing the discharge thereof during such period, means for lockingsaid manually operable valve, a connection between the last named meansandsaid period measuring means whereby the said valve is locked inclosed position and unlocked at the beginning and end of said periodrespectively, and a connection between said solids loading device andsaid locking means through said measuring means.

JOHN P. FAIBER.

